Suspect consults ChatGPT after brother allegedly plants bomb at US Air Force base
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A 911 call to report the bomb came in on March 11, but investigators found nothing in their initial search of the base. An IED was later discovered on March 16. The device never detonated, but officials have described it as “viable” and “potentially very deadly.”
Alen and Ann Mary Zheng bought plane tickets to China on March 11 and flew there on March 12. For reasons unknown, Ann Mary returned to the U.S. on March 17. Alen is believed to still be in China.
Though he remains at large, Alen has been charged with attempted damage of government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device, and possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he could spend 40 years in federal prison.
Alen and Ann Mary Zheng are U.S. citizens, but their parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, are not. According to the Tampa Bay Times, the Chinese natives applied for asylum in the U.S. “years ago” but were denied. They were detained shortly after the IED was discovered and now face deportation.
At a press conference, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Florida Gregory Kehoe claimed that while the siblings’ mother was not currently charged with any crime, the possibility of future charges against her could not be precluded.
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